Never Saw It Coming: Cultural Challenges to Envisioning the Worst

by Karen A. Cerulo

Book Overview

People--especially Americans--are by and large optimists. They're much better at imagining best-case scenarios (I could win the lottery ) than worst-case scenarios (A hurricane could destroy my neighborhood ). This is true not just of their approach to imagining the future, but of their memories as well: people are better able to describe the best moments of their lives than they are the worst.

Though there are psychological reasons for...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0226100332
• ISBN13: 9780226100333
• Release Date: September 2006
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 7.9"